


Kimigayo  君が代

by Spartian_Outlaw



Category: Hetalia - Fandom
Genre: Cross posted from FF, M/M, Old shit, WW2 AU, Wow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2019-09-14 03:44:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16905483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spartian_Outlaw/pseuds/Spartian_Outlaw
Summary: (Cross posted from FF.net)World war 2 AU. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be forgotten. After the tragedy, Kiku, a Japanese fighter pilot finds himself living in America, and meets Alfred, who is also, a fighter pilot, and on the side works at his friends pub. The two fighter pilots hit it off, only to be faced with another tragedy, another war. All things come to an end, even good things.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted from FF.net. This is a really old work of mine. This won't ever be finished, sorry. I just wanted to put it up here because I'm sorta proud of it???

_7_ _th_ _December, 1941._

_Dear Diary…_

_I haven't hated myself so much before. This morning passed too quickly and too smoothly. Yesterday, my battalion was informed by our leader, Chuichi Nagumo. Well, he wasn't the only one, there was also Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-chief and the Japanese Marshal Admiral. The plan was to target the Pearl Harbour in the Hawaii Territory, U.S. There was 414 aircrafts sent to attack the harbour, and I was one of pilots to drop the bomb. This was in the middle of the Second World War, and America wasn't part of this war until today. We managed to damage about 13 ships of the opposite side, and killed 2,403 people. Unfortunately on my side, they managed to destroy 29 aircrafts, and kill 64 of our troops. The U.S military fought back hard, and captured one of our sailors, Kazuo Sakamaki. I know that this event will go down in History, and I know my people will be hated for years to come._

_Honda._

_Dear Diary…_

_Today is the following day, December 8_ _th_ _, 1941. The U.S didn't take our attack on Pearl Harbour too lightly. (Of Course.) We got news from Nagumo that the U.S military has now declared on my country. When will this war end? I sense something bad will come and bite us in the ass, I know it will happen._

_Honda._

_2_ _nd_ _May, 1943_

_Dear Diary…_

_Today is the day where the Japanese admiral in the Navy, Chuichi Nagumo sent out 242 aircrafts to the destination Northern Australia, Darwin. It was in a matter of hours before we reached our destination. What were we doing in Darwin? We were ordered to bomb Darwin. Darwin was a small town where Australia's civil and military infrastructure was located. This bombing was nothing different from what we did to Pearl Harbour in 1941. We managed to kill about 236 Australian citizens. I don't know how someone could take pride in killing a large number of innocent people. But apparently, a lot of people do. After we returned to Japan, everyone was cheering as if their sports team won the grand finale. This is the second time I've regretted joining the Japanese military._

_Honda._

_8_ _th_ _June, 1942_

_Dear Diary…_

_A lot has happened this year. The Allied forces are getting fiercer and it has been more dangerous Japan and the other Axis countries like Germany and Italy. From May 31_ _st_ _to today, our battalion attacked Australia. I don't have nothing much else to say other than we killed more people. Innocent people. I've never felt so disgusted with my country. I'm pretty patriotic about Japan, don't get me wrong, I love my country, but right now… I'm very, very disappointed._

_Honda_

So that's the start of this fic. Yes. It's a war AU. I love war AU's, because, well, I love learning about World war one and World war one the sequel. So, this is based off all the bombings Japan did to Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, and the attacks of Darwin and Sydney. The Japs didn't only attack Sydney, but close by towns like Newcastle in the New South Wales state.

Yes, these are diary entries written by Japan. (Kiku Honda.)


	2. Concern

_19_ _th_ _December, 1943_

_It's hard to believe that not too long ago, the Japanese were on our side in the First World War. Now, they've gone against us. Almost two years ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. I was one of the Fighter pilots sent out there to fight off the Japs, but they kept coming, there was two waves of them. They killed so many people, and for what reason? Okay, maybe we pissed 'em off a little bit, but- never mind. Now we Americans have come into war. How fun… I joined the American Air Force not too long after World War One, and now I'm fighting in the WW1 sequel. I thought the First World War would be enough, but apparently not. That Hitler bastard got angry and now we've got the Japs to deal with._

_I got a bit side-tracked there… What was I talking about? Oh, right. The Japanese._

_So then, in 1942, they decided that bombing Pearl Harbour wasn't enough, so they attacked Australia, mainly Darwin in the Northern Territory and Sydney in New South Wales. Those damn bastards, one of these days, karma is gonna bite them in the ass, I know it._

_**Jones.** _

_Sunday June 21th, 1945 – Japan._

It was early in the morning, the sun began to rise above the horizon and the waves of the ocean began to draw back. Today was the day where the Japanese military was testing a nuclear bomb. Yards away from the small bomb, about twenty Japanese soldiers stood by, listening to the count down. 'Ten…' As Kiku heard that voice, he signalled the other troops to put on special goggles. Kiku's heartbeat began to speed up quickly, they were only seconds away from the moment of truth.

'Nine…'

'Eight…'

'Seven…'

'Six…'

'Five…'

'Four…'

'Three…'

'Two…'

'One…'

A bright flash followed by a boom startled the Japanese soldier and he could feel wind blow against his face. He turned his head away slightly then felt somewhat accomplished. The bomb worked. The other troops lifted up their goggles and began to cheer. 'Did you see that! Whoa was that awesome!' Yong Soo wrapped his arm around Kiku's shoulders with his typical grin playing at his lips. 'We might actually win this war!' Kiku couldn't help himself but smile. Though there was also a small hint of doubt, what if the opposing nations were planning something worse? Kiku snapped out of his fear-induced thoughts when Yong Soo began to shake him. 'Dude, you alright? You didn't get affected by the radiation, did ya, buddy?'

'Personal space, please.' Kiku responded.

'Oh, typical Kiku. C'mon, you're always got that stoic look on ya face, smile! We're just a step closer to victory!' Yong Soo let go of the young Japanese pilot and stood in front of him, his grin still didn't leave his face. Kiku couldn't help but chuckle quietly and turned his head away.

'Well… I am somewhat happy with our progress…'

'That's more like it!'

Kiku gently set his shoes down on the floor and shuffled inside, followed by the young Korean, Yong Soo. The Korean sighed and kicked his shoes off, flinging them across the room. 'Hey!'

'Whoops..' Kiku turned around with an unamused look on his face and shook his head, as if to say, 'you've gone and done it this time, idiot.'

Another man came stomping in and threw Yong Soo's boots at him. 'How many times do I have to tell you to not throw your shoes across the bloody room? One day you're going to damage the walls and  _you'll_ have to pay for it, aru!'

'Aru okay? Calm down, calm down.' The Korean smirked, mocking the Chinese man's accent. The angry man glared at him then calmly turned to the silent pilot.

'Kiku! How was it? Did the project go well?'

Kiku nodded. 'Yes it-' he was knocked to the side by the Korean, his loud voice interrupting Kiku.

'YEAH IT DID! You should've seen it! It went, like BOOM! In our FACES! It was SOOO COOL!'

'I wasn't asking  _you_!' the Chinese man folded his arms. 'You're so rude, you didn't even let Kiku finish.'

'Its fine, Yao. But yes, it went well. You and the other scientists did well.' Kiku smiled politely, then turned to the Korean. 'By the way, you're cooking dinner tonight.'

'No waaaaaayyyy!' Yong Soo whined. 'I'm too lazy to do it!'

'Yao and I have been cooking all week, it's your turn. I feel like Korean tonight anyway.'

'Well, if you say so! Someone finally appreciates my cooking skills!' The Korean quickly made to the kitchen. 'Oh Leon! You- ah!'

'That's what you get for stealing my damn pants! I had to go to work looking like a loser because of you!' Another voice began yelling at the Korean. Kiku looked at Yao and sighed.

'I'm so sorry about Yong Soo. You know how he is when he sees Leon.' The Chinese waved his hand and laughed.

'Do not worry. Hey, I've got to show you something…' he sat back on the couch and pulled a small note from his pocket. 'Here's a note from your friend.' He handed the note to the Japanese man. Kiku took it and sat down next to Yao and opened. He frowned at the note.

_Hey Kiku! It's Feliciano! How are you?_

_To tell you the truth, it's very dangerous here in Italy. My brother… he got captured by the Americans. He and his small group was sent to Germany a month ago, he was meant to return last week, but instead I got a letter bearing the bad news… Grandpa hasn't stopped crying since then. Not only is he sad, but he's super pissed. Antonio visited the other day to say goodbye to us. He told us he knew what happened to Lovino, and said he was leaving to America. We haven't seen him since then. I'm scared Kiku… I really am. The Germans are everywhere. I ran into one yesterday. His name was Beilschmid, he never told me his actual name but… he's… he seems different from all the other German troops. I still don't really trust him, we did manage to talk a lot yesterday, and he distracted me from my kidnapped brother for a moment._

_Anyway, that's all I really needed to say. I hope you're having a better time that what I'm having. Say hi to Yong, Yao and Leon for me!_

_I hope this war ends soon, and I hope my fratello is okay…_

_**Feliciano.** _

'Oh no…' Kiku frowned, his hands began to shake. His friend wasn't having such a good time.

'What is it…?' Yao gave Kiku a concerned look and glanced at the letter in Kiku's grasp.

'Feliciano's brother was captured by the Americans.' Kiku growled. He and that short-tempered Italian got a long quiet well, he and Feliciano were very close friends before they moved back to their home country years ago. He hasn't seen them in years, they only contacted via mail. Feliciano would send Kiku mail every second week, and they always made Kiku smile, the Italian was always happy, and it was seldom of Feliciano to be serious or sad. This concerned the Japanese man. He stood up.

'Poor guy… well, unfortunately, you know you can't do much about it. All you can do is hope that Feli's brother is okay…' Yao frowned.

Kiku was about to retort, but realized that Yao was right. 'You're right…'

'Hey losers! Dinner's ready! Hurry up or I'll eat it all!' Leon yelled.

'Stop yelling goddamn it!' Yao growled back at the Hong Kongese. 'I'm getting a headache…' He turned to the apprehensive Japanese man. 'Don't let it get to you, all you can do is hope, okay?'

'You're right.'


	3. Goodbye Hiroshima

_August 6_ _th_ _, 1945._ _02:45 AM, B-29 Bomber – Enola gay._

About twelve hours ago, Alfred caught his first glimpse at the Atomic bomb, or what they called 'Little boy'. He couldn't believe that this was happening today. The plane he was flying took off about forty five minutes ago. 'Alfred! Where did you put the gun powder?' A British voice echoed throughout the plane.

'They're right here, Arthur.' The American pointed to the small bag beside him. 'You and I will be loading the bomb. Francis!'

'Yes!' A Frenchman walked into the cockpit of the plane, and earned a glare from the Brit. 'I'm taking over, non?'

'Indeed you are.' Quickly switching places with Francis, Alfred grabbed the bag of gun powder and gave Francis a salute. 'We'll reach Japan in about an hour.'

'Don't crash the plane, frog.' Arthur spat, only to be laughed at by Francis. Turning away, Arthur followed the American to the bomb bay. 'Strewth.' Arthur muttered under his breath. The bomb was magnificently large. Alfred stood there, gawking at the bomb in awe. He didn't think the bomb would be  _this_ big. When he first saw it, it seemed smaller, boy was he blown away.

'This just shows how AWESOME us Americans are!' Alfred grinned at the Brit. Arthur scoffed at Alfred's grin and snatched the bag from him.

'Take a picture of the bloody thing, it lasts longer.' Arthur opened the tail of the bomb and carefully began to load the bomb with the gunpowder. 'Could you pass me the torch?' Arthur held his hand out and squinted his eyes. Alfred placed the torch on Arthur's open palm. 'Alrighty then, you know what to do with the plugs, right?'

'Yes! Take the green ones out, and the red ones in!'

'Don't be so loud, I'm right here.' Alfred laughed and proceeded to detonate the bomb.

Alfred was the last man to have his hands on the bomb…

Rushing out of the bomb bay, Arthur sighed. 'I don't even know if this'll work. God, wouldn't we look like fools if it didn't work.' He ran his hand through his hair nervously.

'Don't worry about it! I bet it'll work out just fine!' Alfred slammed a hand on Arthur's back. 'You worry too much!'

'You'll be worrying about your face in a minute if you don't shut up!'

'Oi! You two!' Francis called from the cockpit. 'It was Hiroshima, right?'

'Yes, you bloody idiot!'

'Any news on the weather?' Alfred asked. Francis gave him a triumphant grin.

'I was getting to that, but yes, the weather is perfect! I just got information that it's cloudless.'

_The fate of Hiroshima is just an hour away…_

_08:13 AM – Japan, Hiroshima._

'We've got about ninety seconds, don't screw this up.' Alfred and Arthur were watching Francis as he carefully sets his sight on the target.

'Don't rush me, I'm working on it…' Minutes slowly tick away. Alfred's heart thrummed in his chest, he felt like he couldn't bare it any longer. He looked out the window and down at the city of Hiroshima. 'Now!' Alfred whipped his head back to Francis as he pressed the button. 'I just dropped the bomb.'

'It is estimated that the bomb will hit Hiroshima in forty-two seconds!' A voice called from the back.

_Hiroshima._

'What's with all the planes in the sky?' Yong Soo questioned, looking up at the morning sky.

'They're probably just weather planes.' Yao grunted. Kiku raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun. 'Hey, I see something-'

'Oh no! Cover your eyes!' Kiku shouted. Seconds after his shouting, a bright light blinded him, following the light was a loud boom.

_Hiroshima, just seconds ago was a bustling city. People rushing through the streets, making their way to work and school. Now, the once proud city was like a wasteland. All the buildings were flattened and trees destroyed, thousands dead._

_It happened just like that… in that instant, my home was obliterated by those damn yanks._

'…Ku!' Kiku felt like he couldn't breathe. It felt like he was on fire. He let out a pitiful whimper. 'Kiku!'

'Yao…' He could only mouth Yao's name. His throat felt tight. His mind was racing with crazy thoughts. He managed to open his eyes slightly. He felt like passing out again. Yao's face was burned. Badly. Yao had one of his hands covering his bloody eye. Yong Soo was next to Yao passed out, he looked no better than Yao. He didn't know where Leon was. Leon wasn't even  _there_ when the bomb hit.

'Oh thank god you're still alive.' Yao forced a smile. 'Yong Soo woke up not too long ago, then he passed out again.'

'Wh-where's Leon…? Is he…'

'He's alright. He was the one that shook me awake. He's gone out to get help.' Kiku looked around him, he thought for a moment that he was in an entirely different place. It didn't even seem like he was in Japan.

'This is awful…' Kiku took in a deep breath and winced. 'How…?'

'Ah! Leon! You're back!' Kiku slowly turned his head and looked up at Leon. Leon didn't seem to look too damaged. Leon looked down at Kiku. His concerned face morphed into one of utter horror.

'Uh… I found some American troops.' Kiku flashed a smile at Yao before closing his eyes again.

_August 15_ _th_ _1945 – America_

'… The Allied powers brought America to victory… God bless America.' The streets of New York burst into loud cheers and shouts. People of the city were all waving their flags. American troops marched down the roads. Alfred couldn't help but smile seeing all the happy faces of the citizens of the city. Ahead of him, all he could see was a sea of American flags. He could hear small kids and some adults that they were heroes.

'Bloody hell, everyone looks really happy.' Arthur commented next to Alfred. He barely heard him over the roaring of the citizens. Alfred laughed loudly.

'Of course! We ended the war, did we not?' Arthur frowned at the young American soldier.  _He doesn't get it, does he?_ Indeed. Alfred just turned 19 last month in July. Young and naïve. 'I'm totally the hero!' Arthur heard Alfred cheer happily.

'Hey, it wasn't just you!' Francis whined. 'I did stuff too!'

'Yeah, but I'm just awesome.' Alfred winked, grinning widely.

'Now you sound like Gilbert.'  _Bloody wankers._  Arthur shook his head. He'll understand one day, one day. Alfred wrapped an arm around Arthur.

'Wha-'

'C'mon! Smile for once, Artie!' Arthur groaned and attempted to push Alfred away from him, but of course, the bloody Yank was too strong for him.

'Get off me you wanker.'

 _Yeah._ Arthur thought. Naïve.


	4. Bright Smile

_February 14_ _th_ _1946_

It's been six months since the attack happened. It's been six months since the war ended. Will there be another war? No, surely not. Well, that's what a lot of people thought after World War One. The night was quiet. Faint noises of insects could be heard as the Kiku and his three friends stared at the space that was once a pace they called home. It wasn't just those four standing there. There were many other people, people with wounds, missing limbs, people baring scars, and people with no sign of injury. There were people weren't even from Hiroshima that were there. Yao held up the small lantern in his hand, the soft light illuminating his face. Yao suffered burns and lost sight from one eye. The scars on his face were barely noticeable. 'It looks so… empty.' Yao commented. 'I can't believe this happened only six months ago.'

'It felt like it happened yesterday.' It rare to see Yong Soo look so serious. Before any of this happened, Kiku would laugh if someone told him that the Korean was capable of being serious. Soft hums of the other people caught Kiku's attention. The tune of the humming was familiar.

' _Kimigayo wa. Chiyo ni yachiyo ni…'_

The people singing it sounded so hollow, it sent shivers us Kiku's spine. Never has he ever heard the anthem sound so solemn.

'Sazare-ishi no. Iwao to narite…

Koke no musu made…'

The last note of the anthem dragged on for another couple of seconds before the people began to sing the lines again. 'I never noticed that your anthem was so short.' Yong Soo commented before having his foot stepped on by Leon. 'Ow!'

'Don't be so disrespectful. The Korean anthem sounds like crap compared to this one.' Leon grunted.

'You're being disrespect-'

'Could you two shut up? Now's not the time to be shit heads to each other.' Yao glared at Yong Soo and Leon.

'Leave them be, Yao. It's okay.' Kiku managed to tear his gaze from the damaged city to the Chinese man.

'Everyone's singing like the found the lord, why aren't you guys?' Kiku quickly whipped around in surprise.

'Lovino! You… you're okay?' Kiku immediately wanted to face palm, what a dumb question.

'I'm still breathing, am I not?' The Italian folded his arms. 'I've been fucking around in Japan for six months and I finally find you fuckers. You guys look like you took some damage.'

'You're not looking too flash yourself.' Leon grunted, shooting a glare at Lovino. 'You look blind in one eye and are you missing an ear? And fingers?'

'You bet I am. Let me tell you, the Americans are fuckin' assholes.' Lovino spat. 'Anyway, it's good to see that you losers are doing okay.'

'How did you get here? Feliciano said you-'

'Oh, let me tell you about the time where I was bailed out by a perverted German!' Lovino said sarcastically, tugging at his tan military jacket. 'I so want to find him and punch him in the bloody face.' Kiku stifled a chuckle.  _He hasn't changed… even after all these years._  Lovino was still the spicy Italian he met years ago, it made him feel somewhat happy to see the Italian's scowling face.

'Have you found Antonio yet?'

'Antonio?' Lovino raised a brow then laughed. 'Don't tell me that bastard is looking for me!'

'He is.'

'… He's gonna get himself into some big trouble if he stays in America for too long.' Lovino shook his head. 'Stupid bastard. Anyway,' Lovino waved his hand and cleared his throat. 'I should get going. It's good to see that you guys are okay.'

'Really? You wasted your time to see if we were okay?' Yao raised a brow. 'Some people have too much time on their hands…'

'Hey!' Lovino's loud gravelly voice startled a couple of near-by people and caused others to slowly back away from him. 'You watch it, noodle man.'

'Excuse me? I'll have you know-'

Kiku pushed Yao back and gave him a warning glare. 'No.' He sighed and turned to the angered Italian. 'I appreciate your concern, Lovino, but you better go back to America. Find Antonio. He must be worried sick about you. Feliciano is also worried.'

'Of course he is.' The Italian rolled his eyes. He turned on his heel and waved his hand. 'Well, I'm off. I'll send you a letter when I get to America and find that Bastard, Antonio. Ciao.' And he was off. Kiku noticed that the Italian was limping. He was about to call for the Italian but he decided against it.  _He'll be fine…_

'So… we don't really have a home now… What do we do now?' That was indeed a logical question. Where to now? Kiku looked back at Yao.

'We'll figure something out.'

_It didn't feel like it, but the years passed by so quickly… Before I knew it, Yao, Yong Soo, Leon and I ended up in America. It was the last place I wanted to spend my time in, but I had no choice. At the time I was pretty ticked off at the concept of living in America, I mean, I know our countries are allies by now, but back then, the people from my country were intimidated by the Americans, even myself, I felt more hatred towards them than fear. When we moved to America, I felt… awful, I didn't like it… That all changed once I met him… it was a slow process, mind you, but he was like the sun to my grey world, he had the ability to apply colour to black and white, it was as if he was a gift from the gods…_

_June 12_ _th_ _1949 – America._

As usual, the streets of New York was busy. It was the start of summer(?) and the temperature of the weather began to quickly increase by the day. Kiku and his friends left Japan about three years ago and have been living in this city for a long time, however, the four of them quickly realized how…  _different_ living in the states was compared to living in Japan. Everyone was so loud, even louder than Yong Soo, and that's saying something. It was on this day where the four Asians ended up in a pub called ' _Canadian Maple'_  Yong Soo raised an eyebrow at the name. 'Canadian Maple? Are we sure we're in America?'

'You ask the most illogical questions sometimes.' Leon shook his head. 'You're just as bad as the American-'A loud voice interrupted Leon.

'Hey guys! Welcome to the Maple… whatever! I can't remember the name of this joint. What do you guys want to drink?' Kiku looked up at the loud American and blinked.

'You're awfully loud…' He mumbled. The American in front of him was beaming, a bright smile spread across his face.

'Sorry buddy, I didn't hear ya! What did you say- ohh.' He leaned in closer to the Japanese man. 'You look Japanese, tell me, did you come here to America?'

'If we didn't come here to America, you wouldn't me talking to him.' Yao sneered quietly. This American seemed just as illogical as the Korean sitting next to him. The American glanced at Yao.

'What do you have here?'

'Well!' The American laughed. 'We've got the best American beer in America! Like uh… Guinness beer, Samuel Adams, Fat tire… stuff like that!'

'This place is called the Canadian Maple, but why does it only have American beer-'The American cut off Kiku, his loud voice drowning out his quiet voice.

'Well, this bar is owned by my friend, and he's Canadian! This place does serve Canadian beer, but American beer is better!'

'You know,' Leon started. 'We all will get Samuel Adams, thanks.' The Hong Kongese said, fed up with the American's loud voice. He also looked very uncomfortable, he always had that look face whenever they were out in the streets of America, he always said he didn't like being around a bunch of foreigners.

The American quickly scribbled that down on the small note pad he had. He gave Leon a wink. 'I'm on it!' He then left. Yao let out a deep sigh.

'He's… enthusiastic, is he not?'

'I think he's pretty cool!' Yong Soo cheered. 'He's like the American version of me!'

'Of course you'd say something like that.' Leon still had the unsatisfied sneer on his face. Kiku watched as the loud American make his way to the bar, his grin was still present on his face. The blonde hair, the stunning blue eyes. He was indeed quite handsome. The American intrigued Kiku. He didn't know how long he was staring into space, but the American's voice drew him back to reality. He blinked and looked in front of him. The beer Leon ordered was in front of him.  _Oh…_

'Here you go! Your beer! Enjoy!' The American said before he was yelled at by another man wanting a re-fill. 'Coming!'

Kiku caught himself watching the American attend to another group of clearly drunk men. This place was indeed different to what he was used to in Japan. So different, at times he wondered if he was on a different planet, everything was so alienated to him. This American? He never expected someone to grin like that. His blue eyes sparkled like the fireworks in the sky at New Years.

'Oi, Earth to Kiku! You okay?' Yong Soo waved his hand in front of Kiku's face. He blinked again and looked down at the beer.

'I apologize, was I staring at you?'

'Nope, you were just being too quiet, I thought you passed out or something.' Yong Soo laughed. 'But by the end of the night, I bet you will be! You are a bit of a heavy drinker!' He teased. 'You military losers drink too much!' Kiku rolled his eye and chuckled.

'I wouldn't want to start talking if I were you.' Looking at the window, Kiku could see the reflection of the other side of the pub, and he again, caught sight of the American standing by a short man that looked a little bit like him. Was that his brother? What was  _with_ this American? Why did he interest Kiku so much? Exactly, he hasn't seen someone so happy and smile so brightly before.


	5. Chapter 5

It was another bright day in the city of New York. Cherry blossoms from a near China town were in full bloom, and scattered pink petals all over the streets. Every time Kiku would walk down these streets, he was always amazed, this city is where dreams are made of, as they say. It was loud, not only were the cars and chatter of the passing people and music from shops making loud noises, but Yao and Yong Soo were yelling at each other, which wasn't a big surprise. 'Hey! I swear that pub was around here somewhere, I swear!'

'I swear I'm going to hit you in a moment!' Yao snapped back. 'Giving you the map was a bad idea and I regret trusting you with it!'

'Why are you so mean to me…?' Yong Soo whined, pouting. He looked back at the map. 'Oh, I know what I've done wrong.' He looked back at Yao and twisted the map around in his hands. 'I was holding the map upside down.' He laughed sheepishly. His laugh quickly died down after Yao growled.

'You're a damn idiot, you know that?' He grabbed the map out of the Korean's hands. 'You are no longer allowed to have a map, understood?' Yao continued to rant about Yong Soo's absurdity, which gained a lot of strange looks from the Americans who passed by the trio. Kiku decided to block out the yelling and distracted himself with his surroundings. He still couldn't wrap his head around this city. Were all foreign cities like this? He'd never know, but it was something to think about. A familiar face caught his attention and stared at the approaching American.  _It can't be. Is it…?_

'YOO!' The American waved his hand at the Japanese man, a happy grin on his face. 'It's you from the other night!' Kiku blinked at the American then sped up his pace, hoping to hide himself in the crowd. He also just realized that he couldn't see Yong Soo or Yao anywhere.  _Goddamn it._ 'Hey! Where're you goin'?' The American appeared out of thin air and was standing in front of the Japanese man, blocking his path.

'Gah! Wh-what do you want?' Kiku tried to sound as polite as possible, but this stranger was getting on his nerves.

'Well, I dunno… I just saw you, and I thought I should say hi!' The American grinned. Kiku averted his gaze and sighed. 'Hey, why are you walkin' around New York alone? What are you up to on a great day like this?'

'Well, I was here with my friend, and because of you I've lost them, and now I don't know where to go…'

'Well do not fear, my Japanese friend, because I'm here!' The American cheered, wrapping an arm around Kiku's shoulders and began to drag him down the busy footpath. 'Because I know this city like the back of my hand, y'know? I've lived here for all my life.'

'You don't say…'

'So! Where were you headin' to?'

'Well, we were going to the Canadian Maple-'

'Well! I know exactly where that is!' The American laughed and let go of Kiku. 'The name's Alfred f. Jones, by the way.' Alfred smiled at Kiku. 'And you…?' The Japanese stared at the American for a moment, deciding whether to respond or not.

'Kiku… Kiku Honda.' Kiku paused for a moment. 'Hey, what does the F. mean in your name?' Alfred looked at Kiku and shrugged.

'I dunno, no one has never asked me about it. It can mean a lot of things, really. Depending on what you think, that's what it means.' He smiled. 'I always saw the F. as freedom. Because that's what I want for my country. Freedom!'

'Explains the bomber Jacket… You're in the military?' Kiku took a better look at the jacket.

'Yep! I'm a fighter pilot! It's a dream I've always had, and I served in the Second World War as a… well, a fighter pilot. Boy was it scary, though.' Alfred's eyes darkened for a moment then looked at Kiku and smiled. 'What do you do for a job?'

'Funny enough… the same thing. I'm a Japanese fighter pilot. Well… I haven't done it in a while because right now, my country is a mess. Once it's all good, I'll go back to Japan and continue my job.'

'Oh… you know… I'm sorry what happened to your country… You don't… hate us Americans, do you?'

'…. I don't hate you Americans. You did what you thought you had to do to make the world a peaceful place.' Kiku frowned. 'But enough of that. I don't really like talking about it.' The Japanese man laughed quietly. He looked back at Alfred then gave him a strange look. 'What on Earth are you eating?'

'Hmm?' Alfred looked at Kiku and stopped chewing on the bar he was eating. 'It's a chocolate bar.' He reached into his pocket and pulled out another bar and handed it to Kiku. 'You've never seen one of these things before? They're amazing.' He droned.

'No… I've heard of it, I've just never tried it. I've heard not much of it is around because of the War.'

'True, but now there's more of it now, since the war finished. It's the same thing with coffee. Places are now starting to sell it again. MAN was it dark times without coffee. It's my best friend.' Alfred took another bite of the bar. 'Hey, before I show you to the pub, why don't I give you a tour of New York? It's hard living in a city that you don't know, so I'll show you around! How does that sound?'

'I don't know about that-' Alfred interrupted Kiku by grabbing his hand and turned around.

'C'mon man! This'll be a onetime thing! And today is a nice day!' He looked at Kiku with puppy eyes. 'Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please-'

'Okay! Okay! Stop it with the puppy eyes!' Kiku couldn't help but laugh. This kid is so absurd. How can an adult like him act like a five year old? Kiku wouldn't have a clue.

'Yay~!'

'You would know what this lovely statue is, right?' Alfred pointed at the distant green statue which from their view, looked like it was floating on the ocean.

'Of course, it's Lady Liberty… I knew that before I came here with my friends.' Kiku looked at the statue. He could remember Leon telling him about it. He even described it as "A statue in the middle of the ocean" Kiku didn't believe him until he saw it, and boy was he blown away. There was nothing like that In Japan, not even in Tokyo, the country's biggest city. All Tokyo had was… to him nothing really special, other than millions of shrines.

'Of course you'd know about it, hey, is there anything like this in Japan?' Kiku knew the American would ask him a question like that.

'Not really, unless you call shrines and gardens special, then I guess.' Kiku shrugged. Japan was a pretty place, the nature was more appealing that what it was like here in America. But Yao would beg to differ, patriotic bastard he was.

'Oooh! I've heard talk about shrines! What are they like?' Alfred turned his full attention to Kiku while munching on another… candy bar. What is with him and that stuff? Is it really that good?

'So you've never been to Japan… right?' Alfred opened his mouth to answer.  _Of course! I flew over the country only to…_  He immediately closed his mouth. Touchy subject. Still regretting it.

'No. No I haven't. But! Maybe one day, I will!' He looked at Kiku. 'Will you ever go back?'

'I will, yes. Once Japan is in a better state than now, I will. I'm here for… military reasons.'

'Oh! That's right, you're in the Japanese Military! Are you Navy or Airforce or…?'

'I thought I told you this before.' Kiku raised a brow. The American shook his head. Apparently not. 'I'm in the Airforce.'

'Oh my God! Same! Though,' Alfred chuckled, stepping back. 'I'm a fighter pilot in the American Airforce. You and I have something in common, don't we?' He chuckled, smiling brightly at the Japanese man.

Kiku stared at Alfred for a moment before quickly looking away and focused on the Statue. 'Y-yeah.'

By the time Kiku and Alfred got back to the Canadian pub, it was night time, and the moment Kiku stepped inside, Yao was there to greet him. 'Kiku!' He grabbed said man by the arm. 'Where were you?! Oh my god, I thought you were kidnapped! Or killed by a car!'

Did he really think that? Kiku never thought Yao could be irrational. Kiku stood there in silence for a moment then took a glance at Alfred. He caught the American giving Yao a look. A  _glare_? Alfred seemed to notice Kiku staring at him then smiled.

'Oh! Uh, sorry about that. Hey, I'll see you again soon, I guess!' He seemed so enthusiastic about it. He quickly walked away, looking back to give Yao another glare, before bumping into some old man. 'OH I'M SO SORRY!' he began to apologize profusely after that, only to be given a dirty look from the old man.

'Young people these days….' He grumbled, before dragging his sad, old body away with his walking stick in hand.

'That American is something else…' Yao looked at Alfred before looking back at Kiku. 'Why were you with him? I don't like that guy to be honest.' He growled.

'So many questions, one at a time would be nice.' Kiku rolled his eyes, he didn't even bother hiding the sarcasm in his voice. After being dragged around the whole city all day by a loud American, he just wanted to go home and re-think about his life decision.


	6. What about flying planes?

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Bee-_

The alarm clock was brutally punched to silence by an angry fist. Kiku lifted his head from the pillow and glared at the alarm before turning away from it.  _Too early…_ He closed his eyes again.

Hold on…

He looked back at the clock on the alarm. 7:30AM.

That reminded him. Kiku had aircraft training. He was supposed to be at Hancock field AF base at 6 o'clock…

' _SHIT! '_  Kiku kicked the sheets off him and rushed to the closet and grabbed his uniform and throwing it on the bed before making a dash to the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror. He looked like he just dug out of his own grave. Quickly smoothing down his hair, he began to mentally prepare for all the yelling he was going to get from the pilot officer. While thinking about how to deal with all the bashing, Kiku continued to get dressed then ran out of the door, making  _lots_ of noise on his way out.

'Flight Sergeant Honda!' The voice of the pilot officer barked. He looked down at the small Japanese man with a snarl. 'What time were you required to show up?!' Kiku hesitated for a moment.

'Six o'clock, sir.' He mumbled quietly.

'What did you say?!' The officer's voice boomed again.

'Six o'clock, sir!' Kiku averted his gaze and saw other American soldiers gawking at him. He felt embarrassed. He had never been in trouble by higher ranks before. Back in Japan, the officers weren't as scary and loud as the officers in America.

'So why weren't you here at six o'clock?' The officer asked. Kiku opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by another loud voice.

'He was with me, sir!' Kiku slowly turned his head and looked at Alfred, his big grin plastered on his face. The American halted in front of the Piolet officer and saluted him. 'He and I were out all day yesterday doing aircraft work! He and I didn't finish until 1 o'clock this morning. But if you still feel the need to yell, yell at me. Sergeant Honda did nothing wrong, sir.' Kiku blinked at the American. He was so bold. The piolet officer was a bloody ass at times, Kiku was convinced that Alfred had balls of steel. But yet again, Kiku wasn't surprised by Alfred's behavior in the situation.

However, the officer seemed to buy Alfred's poor excuse. 'If that's so, I can understand.' He turned back at glared down at the smaller man. 'But if I ever see you arrive late again, Honda, you'll be in trouble.' He turned and walked off. ' _Damn Jap.'_ He muttered before making his way out of the room.

The silence in the room was deafening, making Kiku feel uncomfortable. He looked at Alfred, a faint smile coming on to his lips. 'Thanks for that.'

'No problem Kiki!' There goes that awkward silence…

'Don't call me that.' Kiku said quickly. His face coloured a bit and avoided Alfred's stare. He slowly made his way out of the room and out into one of the empty runways, with Alfred right behind him. 'Why are you following me?'

'Huh?' Alfred gave Kiku a surprised look then smiled. 'You're gonna fly, aren't ya?'

'Yes, that's why I'm out here…'

'I want to see your skills!' Kiku's face turned red and began to stutter.

'I-I… Why? I don't understand.' The more time he spent with the American, he seemed to get stranger. Maybe that was normal for Americans. For all the years Kiku spent in New York, he did attempt to avoid Americans outside of the Air force base. Alfred was hard to ignore, which annoyed Kiku slightly. He let out a sigh and nodded slightly. 'If you  _really_ want to, I guess it won't hurt.'

Kiku looked around the hangar a certain plane but couldn't find it. Alfred raised a brow at him. 'What are ya looking for?'

'I can't seem to find my plane in here…' He sighed.

'And what plane is it?'

'Lockheed p-80 Shooting star' Kiku looked at Alfred. 'Well, I guess we can use another plane. My plane can only hold one piolet, and I'm guessing you'd want to be in there with me so…'

'Is that your plane over there?' Alfred interrupted Kiku and pointed to the silver plane behind a big bulky bomber plane.

'That is… Let's look for another plane. I don't think I can use mine anyway…' Kiku looked around, looking for a suitable plane.

After looking around for a suitable plane, the two fighter pilots settled on a two-seater plane, the HAL Pushpak 'I used to fly around in an Aeronca 11 before I used the Mustang.'

'That's a variant of this plane, right?' Kiku asked.

'Yep! I don't know how this base got their hands on this baby, though. England are more known for using this. Maybe it's because of Arthur.' Alfred laughed.

'You mean Sergeant Kirkland? I thought he was Scottish.'

Alfred gave the Japanese man an amused look. 'Scottish? Wow Kiku… Wow.'

'What? They look the same!' Kiku fired back then pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Whatever. Get in the plane. I'm flying this.'

Alfred stuck out his bottom lip and whined like a child but followed Kiku's order and slumped down in the passenger seat. 'After you, I wanna fly this.'

'Whatever you want.' Kiku set his hands on the wheel. 'Don't act like a child. You're too old for that.' The younger man dead-panned before starting the engine. He didn't waste time and in moments, the plane was in the air. 'This is the second type of American plane I've ever flown….' Kiku mused quietly.

Alfred picked that up and looked at the smaller man. 'Really? Tell me, what planes did you fly in Japan?'

Kiku stayed quiet for a moment. '… Mitsubishi Ki-51.'

'What's that?' Kiku gave the American a side glance.

'You ask a lot of questions don't you?' He sighed, focusing his attention on where he was going. 'It was a light bomber plane. Those planes were originally used for ground attacks, but towards the end of World War Two, they used in Kamikaze attacks...'

'You did Kamikaze attacks?' Alfred sounded surprised, his voice pitched higher which made Kiku cringe.

' _No,_ you dummy, if I did that, I wouldn't be here.' He couldn't help laugh quietly. 'By that time, I mainly use Aichi M6A, which was a torpedo bomber. Those were used to bomb… y'know submarines when we attacked…' Kiku swallowed. 'Pearl Harbor.'

Alfred nodded slowly. 'No offence, but you guys were  _bastards._  But I guess I shouldn't be talking.'

'Anyway,' Kiku decided to change the topic. 'Enough talk about that.'

'You're going really slowly, it's getting boring.' Alfred said, yawing. Kiku glared at the American before pressing a few buttons and pressing his foot on the gas, increasing speed really quickly which earned a yelp from Alfred. 'Jesus!' He gripped Kiku's arm. 'You could have warned me!'

'Maybe you shouldn't be so impolite.' The Japanese man spat. He dipped the plane which earned another yelp of surprise from Alfred.

'Oh my god! You're gonna kill us both if you keep that up! This plane can't handle it!' His high pitched screaming began to amuse Kiku.

'That's what you get for being an ass.' Kiku slowed down slightly and watched the American pant next to him.

'Okay, okay. I'm sorry…'

After that, it got quiet. It was pleasant for Kiku. He looked out and saw the city in the distance. He sighed with content. He looked back at Alfred. 'Hey, can I ask you something?' Alfred gave the piolet a look and gestured his hand for him to continue. 'Why… Why did you join the Air Force, you don't have to answer if you don't want to…' Kiku's cheeks coloured slightly.

'Hmmm…. Well,' Alfred leaned back in his seat. 'My father was in the Air Force in his day… He fought in WW1, believe it or not…' He trailed off. He looked picked at the bomber Jacket's sleeve that he was wearing. 'You know why I always wear this?' Alfred paused for a moment. 'This was my fathers. Once he left my mum to go fight in war… only this returned. Mind you, I wasn't born at the time, I was born a couple of months after the first war finished.' Alfred watched a passing by bird. 'My mum told me my father came back home and visited for a short while before returning… which was the last time she saw him. In that short time, he got my mum pregnant with… well, me.'

'Isn't that guy who runs that maple pup your twin?' Kiku asked.

Alfred laughed. 'No. He's Canadian. A lot of people think that. But… well, yeah. Before I left mum to go fight in WW2, my mum gave me this jacket. Boy was she crying her hear out.' The American frowned. 'She always told me how much I looked like my Father.'

'I'm sorry I asked that question…' Kiku felt embarrassed.

'Don't be embarrassed! It's all good, I'm glad you asked me the question! All my friends know the story, and since you're a friend, you deserve to know!' Alfred smiled, softly nudging Kiku.

Kiku glanced at the smiling American. He gave him a bashful smile before looking away from him. 'I'm honoured you consider me a friend.'

Silence once again filled the cockpit for a while before Alfred cleared his throat. 'Can I fly now?'

'Damn, I was hoping you'd forget that…' Kiku muttered before giving Alfred a weary glace. 'Can I trust you to be normal, and not kill us both? Because I like my life too much to die now.'

'Don't worry! I'm a hero after all! And heroes save people, not kill them!'

Once landing, Kiku and Alfred switched spots. Once Alfred started the engine, Kiku began to regret letting Alfred take control of the plane. Before he got the chance to tell Alfred that, the plane began speeding down the runway. Kiku gripped onto his seat. 'Alfred! Slow down, slow down, slow down!' Alfred laughed loudly and took off into the sky, speed increasing.

'What? This is fun! Hey, I can close my eyes and let your screams guide me!' He joked.

'Alfred, I will hit you if you don't slow down!' Kiku screamed. His screaming got louder as he saw the city coming into view. 'You're going to hit that building!'

'No I'm not!' Alfred assured the screaming man and turned the gears, taking a sharp turn and avoided the tall buildings.

'Who let you fly planes?! You crazy bastard!'

'Wow, I'm surprised, Kiki! You can swear! I thought you were too Japanesey to say harsh words like that, I feel hurt.' The American joked, pulling a hurt expression before taking another sharp turn, narrowly missing another building.

Once Alfred landed the plane, Kiku sat slumped in his seat, panting heavily. Alfred looked at the dark haired man and laughed. 'That was fun! Now I know what Japanese men sound like when they piss themselves.' His obnoxious laugh filled the silent hangar. Kiku glared at the American.

'That is the LAST time I'm going to be in the same plane as you.' He glared, slowly getting out of the plane.

Alfred followed Kiku and wrapped an arm around his shoulders as they walked out of the hanger and out onto the runway. The sun was beginning to set by that time. 'It was fun listening to you scream, you seriously sounded like a girl!'

Kiku glared at Alfred and muttered something in Japanese.

'Sorry, but what was that? I didn't quite catch that~' Alfred said in a sing song tone, his grin still on his face.

'You don't need to know.' Kiku shrugged Alfred's arm off as they walked out of the base and into the car park. 'I need to get going, Alfred before I get yelled at by Yao.' Kiku rolled his eyes.

'Awww… I thought we could go out for dinner!' Alfred whine. 'C'mon, please?' His eyes sparkled in the orange glow of the setting sun. Kiku looked at the American. Did he ever realize how handsome Alfred was? The orange glow on his sharp features made him look even more… pretty. Kiku blushed at the thought.

'Alright, fine. But I really do need to tell Yao about this.'

'Oh, well, there's a phone inside the base, you can call him using that!' Alfred grabbed Kiku by the arm and dragged him inside again. He pointed to the phone on the wall and pushed him towards it. 'There you go!'

Kiku sighed quietly and heisted before calling Yao.

'Hello?' It was Leon.

'Oh, Leon. It's Kiku, Is Yao there?'

'Kiku, you've been out all day, I'm guessing you're at work.' Leon drawled. 'Well, Yao isn't here at the moment, what do you want?' Kiku swallowed and glanced at Alfred.

'Well, I'm going out and I won't be back for dinner, so… Can you tell Yao that?'

'I guess…' Leon began to chuckle. Kiku could sense the Hong Kongean smirking on the other side. 'Do you have a date?'

'NO!' Kiku yelped, his face crimson. He got a couple of glances from other workers before clearing his throat. 'N-no. I'm going with a friend, if that's okay with you.' He hissed.

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll tell the old man for you. Now go, have fun on your date~' Leon teased. Kiku growled lightly and slammed the phone down, his face turning red again.

He sighed, and calmly turned to Alfred. 'Let's go.'

'Yay!'


	7. Date?

Feeling flustered would be an understatement. Shoved down on a seat by Alfred and being glared down by old folks that have been dining at the restaurant didn't make Kiku feel any more comfortable. The air felt clammy and the loud roar of people talking made Kiku want to curl up underneath the table. At this moment, he realized how much he missed Japan. The American on the opposite side of the table pushed the menu in front of him. 'Alright, look at this, tell me what you want and I'll order. It's on me tonight.' He winked. Kiku spent the time oscillating his eyes between the menu and Alfred before settling on the menu.

'I'll purposefully order the most expensive food then.' Kiku remarked casually. He wanted to wipe that shit-eating grin of Alfred's face, but it just grew which stirred annoyance in his gut. 'Stop grinning, you'll hurt yourself.'

'I love how annoyed you get, it's cute.' Kiku was close to throwing a chair at the American's head, he really was. Kiku didn't know if his face was heating up due to the compliment or his annoyance.

'Can you please be quiet I serious-' Kiku was cut off by the loud voice of a waiter.

'Good evening Gentlemen! May I take your order' Living in New York for years, Kiku has given up on the theory of 'Not all Americans are loud and slightly obnoxious' or maybe that was just people from New York?

'This food is so different, I've never had anything like this before.' Kiku couldn't help but comment. It was true, living in New York for years, he never really set out to try the American foods. He only stuck to Asian-style restaurants and foods at home. Yao was the one to cook, and occasionally Yong Soo, so it was mainly Chinese or Korean-style dinner but Kiku can't complain. It was bomb nonetheless.

'Guess you stuck with the rice and whatever else you guys eat, yeah?' Alfred said between loud chews. Kiku made a grossed out face which gave the American the indication to eat like a normal human being- which he did- and closed his mouth to swallow.

'Yeah.' Kiku put his fork down for a moment and looked at Alfred. 'You haven't tried Asian-styled food before, haven't you?' He questioned. There were so many restaurants around, he was surprised that Alfred hadn't never been to one before.

'Not really.' Alfred said with a shake of his head. 'Maybe I'm missing out on something?'

'Defiantly' Kiku answered quickly. 'Maybe I'll take you to one someday.' He smiled, picking up his fork and taking a bite of his steak. 'It'll be my pay-back for this.'

'Yes please.' Kiku smiled again. At times he found Alfred insufferable, but at moments like this, he can't help himself but liking him more and more. It never crossed his mind how 'unnatural' it is for a man to like another man romantically; he never was that close-minded. He remembers Yong Soo confessing that he had a thing for Leon, and he never questioned it, and he isn't questioning his feelings now for Alfred. That damn idiot

'So~' Yong Soo slid across the couch and bumped into Kiku. 'How was your date?' He wiggled his eyebrows obnoxiously.

'How many times do I have to say?' He pushed the Korean away from him. 'It was not a date!' He huffed.

'Then why are you so defensive over it?' Now Yao was in it. Kiku internally groaned and rolled onto his stomach, purposefully kicking Yong Soo in the gut.

'I'm not. You guys just piss me off.'

'Who was it anyway? Your fighter piolet friend? What was his name again?' Yao stopped and tapped his chin a couple of times in deep thought.

'Alfred, wasn't it?' Leon came out with a damp towel hanging over his shoulders. Now it was Kiku's turn to waggle his eyebrows at Yong Soo who looked away.

'Ah!' Yao snapped his fingers. 'That's it. He's the seriously loud yet attractive guy, yes?' Kiku was about to throw a pillow or two at Yao but he stopped himself. He never really took Alfred's looks into thought. Sure, he's noticed he wasn't too bad, but again, he didn't take it into much thought. These types of thoughts invaded his mind for most of the night which kept him up, along with Yong Soo's loud snoring. He seriously began to realize that yes,

Kiku Honda felt serious feelings towards Alfred Jones, and there wasn't much he could do but accept it.


End file.
